Acute sonographic changes in common carotid artery after NESA neuromodulation intervention in healthy adults: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Mínguez Esteban, Isabel; De la Cueva Reguera, Mónica; Abuín, Vanesa; Romero Morales, Carlos; Almazán Polo, Jaime; Bravo, Maria

doi:10.3389/fphys.2025.1526236

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Physiol.

Sec. Autonomic Neuroscience

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1526236

This article is part of the Research Topic Autonomic Nervous System-targeting Therapies for Cardiovascular Diseases View all articles

Acute sonographic changes in common carotid artery after NESA neuromodulation intervention in healthy adults: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Provisionally accepted

Isabel Mínguez Esteban

Mónica De la Cueva Reguera

Vanesa Abuín

Carlos Romero Morales

Jaime Almazán Polo ^*

Maria Bravo

European University of Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, Spain

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Introduction: Endothelial function is crucial for vascular health, with dysfunction being a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Non-Invasive nerve stimulation techniques, such as NESA neuromodulation, target the autonomic nervous system to improve vascular tone and function. This study evaluates the acute sonographic effects of NESA on the common carotid artery (CCA) in healthy adults.Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 40 participants divided into NESA (n=20) and placebo (n=20) groups. Both groups underwent 20-minute interventions. Sonographic assessments of the left CCA, including lumen diameter (LD), intima-media thickness (IMT), and peak systolic velocity (PSV), along with blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR), were performed before and immediately after the intervention.Results: Significant increases in LD and cross-sectional area (CSA) were observed in the NESA group compared to placebo (p<0.001), alongside a decrease in IMT (p<0.05). HR showed a significant reduction post-intervention in both groups, with a more pronounced effect in the NESA group (p=0.001). No significant changes were found in BP or PSV.Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that NESA neuromodulation induces immediate changes in vascular parameters, including increased LD and CSA and decreased IMT. These results highlight measurable acute vascular effects in healthy individuals following NESA intervention.

Keywords: NESA neuromodulation, autonomic nervous system, Common carotid artery (CCA), Vascular ultrasound Doppler, Vascular ultrasonography, lumen diameter (LD), Peak systolic flow velocity, electrical nerve stimulation

Received: 11 Nov 2024; Accepted: 10 Feb 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Mínguez Esteban, De la Cueva Reguera, Abuín, Romero Morales, Almazán Polo and Bravo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Jaime Almazán Polo, European University of Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, Spain

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